I don't like the Stewart comparison. I see where you're coming from in terms of athleticism (well, Stewart has lost a lot of his speed due to aging and injuries), but Jones, as a hitter, is nowhere near the level of Stewart. Stewart has a career .364 OBP which is much higher than Jones' .327 clip. Stewart did have a down year this season and is getting old, but was renowned for his batting eye in his prime. He was still an effective leadoff hitter even after losing speed for that reason.

I agree that signing Jones for that much is obscene. Maybe the trade route is smarter this offseason given the high prices.

Well, the way things are gong, don't be surprised if he does not get 10 M a year from Clueless Brian after Giles signs with the Jays or whoever. Jones is one of the worst FA players out their imo from a price to value perspective. This year's Jaret Wright or Eric Milton in that respect.

This signing sucks and made me fairly angry with the Cardinals. It made me angry and frustrated, so frustrated I decided to check the MLB list of free agents for this year. The next best buy I found (Besides B. Giles)? Matt "got busted with steroids" Lawton. This is one weak year for OFers, and I think the Cardinals did the best they could.

If Giles "only" gets about 10 million this offseason, then I think maybe the Cardinals should have forked it over. Otherwise, eh, work with what you got.

I agree though, hopefully this is a signal of something bigger. Maybe a sign that AJ is coming to StL? Who knows, but Jones won't add much to this years club.. Jones starting and a platoon of Gall/Rodriguez with oft-injured Edmonds in CF? Not looking great out there.

...Boston papers now and then suffer a sharp flurry of arithmetic on this score; indeed, for Williams to have distributed all his hits so they did nobody else any good would constitute a feat of placement unparalleled in the annals of selfishness. -Updike